In practice of Bosnian and Albanian Imam’s and sheik’s there is an extremely interesting segment of spiritual medicine which is based on the healing of people from supernatural elements (black magic, spells, possession) by passing through a so called hollow amulet. Namely, only these three European countries i.e. Bosnia, Kosovo and Albania, where Muslims are a majority, the practice of writing long amulet texts was recorded which were a mixture of magical squares, God’s names, duas and prayers from the Qur’an. Paper on which the amulet was written was usually two meters long and its width is ten centimetres. Amulet text is written on both sides of the paper and its ends are connected using duct tape, in order to form a circle. That’s why among the folk it is called a hollow amulet.
Because of the pretty demanding content the text is written for one month or even more, in order to align the writing with the lunar phase. During the entire process, before and after writing, the Imam is praying to God and lighting pleasant fragrances, and he even fasts when processing more demanding parts of the amulet.
Its primary purpose is intended for annulling of negative energy through a ritual of passing the diseased through it i.e. the amulet is passed from the head down the body to the legs, usually three times. Another specificity of this amulet is that she is, unlike the rest, it is not carried wit oneself and after use its owner, usually Imam-exorcist, places it in a clean and neat place, until the next time it needs to be used. Of course, as a measure of precaution, and in order to protect it from dampness and impurities, the amulet is wrapped in a see through duct tape.
In the tradition of Bosnia and Herzegovina a status symbol was that one could order and pay for such an amulet, since the price was pretty steep. It was carefully guarded and transferred through generations as a valuable family heirloom. Also, a special wooden box was created for the amulet, richly ornamented and was inherited through male successors and in absence of males a daughter could also receive it. In the name of the amulet one would mandatorily give alms to the poor and one could not refuse to help someone with it if a person sought such help. Such help could not be reimbursed.
Among the Arabs and Persians such a way of construction and usage of the amulet doesn’t exist, while among the Turks one can see the practice of praying over a ball of cotton, which is then unwrapped and from the threads one forms a circle through which a person, struck by black magic or spell, is passed through.
Threading (passing) through the amulet According to Bosnian Imam’s the following instruction for the usage of a hollow amulet has been constructed:
-For an amulet to work the owner must pass it over him three times, or to wait for 21 days when it will start working by itself on him and his family.
-Traditions tied to this amulet stipulate that all family members have to pass the amulet three times over them, similarly, the ancient rules stipulate that each person is passed through it individually as many times as the person’s age, three days in a row, so that it has a full effect on them.
-Who ever believes in Allah, and possesses this amulet, will be protected from all troubles in this world, which are inflicted by people and demons. Three days in a row the person needs to be passed through the amulet three times.
-Whoever possesses this amulet, his provisions and good fortune will increase with god’s will.
-Whoever possesses this amulet, will be free from all suffering and ills which are caused by people and Jinn. For this purpose one needs to thread the amulet two times per month.
-Whoever carries this amulet will not fall ill from no great disease nor will have cholera. One needs to pass through the amulet every six months, seven times through the amulet for seven days.
-If one has a wish which is hard to achieve Allah will ease the realization of the wish if he passes through the amulet 11 times, between midnight and 1 o’clock in the morning.
-Whoever possesses this amulet will be protected by evil doers and their evil acts and similarly his property will be protected from the evil caused by people and Jinn.
-Whoever has this amulet will achieve all his goals and intentions with god’s help, and if he has issues with the court and court decisions, Allah will help him come out as the winner in all disputes which are aimed against him. In that case one needs to pass through the amulet 15 days in a row, three times a day.
-If someone falls ill from dangerous diseases such as a tumour, cancer, tuberculosis, etc. one needs to pass through the amulet 41 times for 41 days.
-When the temperature is raised among the persons who carry the amulet, one needs to pass through the amulet three times and with god’s help the temperature will disappear.
-This amulet is used for a lot of things which torture and haunt the person, it helps him come out as the winner, protects him from human and Jinn evil, evil doers, i.e. in one sentence it protects him and helps him fight 99 different ailments and troubles, and similarly brings 99 different benefits such as health, good fortune, revenues, etc.
